The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1887-01-06
Senator Plat Favors Pools.

WASHINGTON, Jan. DIN the Senate, To-Day
Mr. Platt, Of Connecticut, delivered speech on
the interstate commerce bill. He said the Sem
ate bill recognized principle that was sound
That principle was that the question of what
was reasonable charge on freight to or from
station was not to be determined by the question
of what was charged for freight to or from an
other station. In other words, the question of
reasonable freight charges varied with locations
ard with the volume and the character of the
business. He thought that the conference re-
port clause las to the shorter distance being in:
cluded within the longer distance) was uncertain
and ambiguous He did not think that any body
knew wha, it meant 1t imported that there
were some shorter distances for which more
might be charged than for longer distances. 1t
would be for the courts and the commission to
find out what shorter distances we're. AS
to the pooling clause in the conference
bill, he declared that he could not
assent to it. He believed. IN his Utmost mind.
that it was impolitic and unjust, and would en-
barrass, ii no. defeat, the beneficial operations
Of the bill 1t was for those who proposed it to
show that sucn traffic contracts tmisnamed
pools) were either condemned by the common law
or were so far wrong in principle that being op-
posed TO public policy, it just and wise legis-
laton to make them criminal offenses The
character, purpose and results of pooling con-
tracts were entirely misunderstood 1t was the
cate word ''pool' that had created prejudice in
the minds OF the people. ga rose by any other
name would smell az sweet" bnt the converse of
that saying did not hold true. These traffic con-
tracts, under any other name, could not be con-
sidered opposed to public interests. Railroad
companies had tried to escape from the baneful
influence of the word pool and had called it
what il was, SEQ operation contracts for traf
ic,n but without avail The fact was that the
pooling contract simply an agreement be-
tween competing lines to apportion their Compel
tive business 1t did not touch the local bust
ness, and had no reference toit Local business
was left to each individual line. That was non
competitive business, and had nothing to do with
the through rates.
On the subject of pooling Mr.. Plat quoted
from the report for 1879 of Mr.. Nimmo, then
chief of the Bureau of Statistics, to show that
pooling was merely an apportionment of traffic
between roads engaged in competitive traffic,
and from pamphlet by Judge Cooley. to show
chat the purpose of pools is to avoid ruinous
competition and unjust discrimination against
shippers And he asked who would believe that
in bill ostensibly for the purpose of preventing
unjust determinations, clause should be found
making that criminal to which railroad compan-
les have resorted to prevent unjust discrmiDa-
ton. He challenged anybody to show that the
object the purpose, the faithful observance
of pool contract was anything else than the
maintenance of stable rates. He had taken and
analysed the evidence taken before the Senate
committee on interstate commerce and could
the idea. not of prohibiting, but of leRazing and
regulating railroad pools AS to the maxim of
composition being the life of trade, he illustrated
its fallacy by assuming the case of third line OF
railroad being constructed between New York
and Washington, and said il was this building
of competing railroads where they were not
needed that had led to the necessity of contracts
for the apportionment Of competitive business.
There was a competition which was than
combination or cooperation of railroad com
panies. Pooling contracts, he declared we're n
aid Of remedyng the abuses that were com
planned of. He did not deny that there were
now determinations against shippers but these
Determinations existed in spite of pools. Why
he asked, declare that criminal which had fol
its purpose that which was claimed to be one OF
the purposes of the pending bill? If competition
meant the survival of the 6ttestAni the destruc
ton Of the weakest it was anti Christian ant
anti Republican, and the society that favored i
would lapse into barbarism. It was the ole
pagan, despotic idea that "might is right" an6
was expressed in the common phase, "the devi
take the hindmost"